PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT

Academic appointees have additional responsibilities which are described in this section. These responsibilities include those established by the Faculty Council and approved by the Trustees of Indiana University which are identified in the Code of Academic Ethics, the Code of Student Ethics, the policy on political activities by University Employees, and the AAUP/ACE statement on conflict of interest situations in government-sponsored work. Additionally, there are areas in which faculty committees and/or administrators have identified faculty responsibilities. These include policies on protection of the rights of human subjects, proper care of laboratory animals, and contacts with external foundations, state and federal agencies.

Code of Academic Ethics

The Code of Academic Ethics contains two major sections. The first section includes a general statement about the rights and responsibilities of scholarship, teaching, librarianship, relations with colleagues, relations to the University, and relations to the community. This section also contains an enumeration of specific responsibilities related to teaching, librarianship, and University citizenship. The second section describes enforcement procedures. All academic appointees should be familiar with the Code of Academic Ethics (see Document I-1).

Code of Student Ethics

The Code of Student Ethics (updated as Indiana University Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct and approved by the Trustees on 12/13/96) describes detailed rights and responsibilities of students, defines student and faculty misconduct, and stipulates complaint procedures. (http://www.iu.edu/~code/index.shtml )

Enhanced Understanding of Cultural Diversity

Given the manifest problems of society which have racial, ethnic, and gender discrimination at their base, it was considered essential for the Bloomington campus of Indiana University to develop a strategy to educate students and faculty about cultural diversity and to enforce appropriate standards of conduct. Upon recommendation of the Educational Policies Committee, BFC action in March, 1990 established a set of recommendations. (See Document I-2). These include that programs be conducted which are targeted at all incoming students, that each degree-granting unit have a cultural diversity degree requirement, and that diversity programs be conducted for all faculty and librarians and repeated annually for new appointees, and for all new Associate Instructors.

Statement of Civility

In 1999, the BFC reaffirmed the campus’s commitment to the principle that civility and respect should be extended to all persons regardless of their role at Indiana University, and regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and age. Civility and mutual respect help create an environment in which each member of the campus community is viewed as important and can succeed. (See Document I-3).

Contacts with External Agencies

The Vice President for Public Affairs and Government Relations has established guidelines for contacts with governmental officials, agencies, foundations, etc., at the Federal and state levels (see Document I-4). The purpose of the policy is to ensure adherence to federal guidelines on legislative contacts and lobbying procedures, to coordinate the contacts made to these groups, and to keep administrative officials of Indiana University informed. If the University takes an institutional position on an issue with an external agency or foundation, this must be approved by the Vice President for Research Administration; any positions expressed to elected officials must be approved by the Vice President for Public Affairs and Government Relations. Most official University positions are presented by the administrative officers of the University. Personal and professional contacts with the groups, in person or in writing, should be done in the name of the person or professional group and should not make reference to Indiana University.

Political Activities

The Faculty Council action concerning political activities of Faculty members states that:
"The University recognizes the right of academic appointees to engage in political activities beyond those normally entailed in voting and participating in routine community, state, and national programs, provided that the participation does not prevent the full discharge of the faculty member's academic responsibilities."
It further provides that 1) should the activity prevent full discharge of academic obligations, the appointee will be asked to request a leave without pay, 2) such activities should be reported to the chairperson, school dean and the Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs, and 3) should a disagreement arise between an appointee and an administrator, the appointee may appeal to the Faculty Board of Review, which shall make a final decision. (See DOCUMENT I-5).

Substance Free Workplace

The Drug Free Workplace Act of 1988 and the federal Drug Free Schools and Campuses
Act of 1990, prohibits the unlawful possession, use, distribution, manufacture or
dispensing of illicit drugs and alcohol, including controlled substances, on Indiana
University’s premises, or while conducting university business off university premises.
In addition to possible penalties under federal and state law, failure to comply with this
policy may result in any of the following sanctions:
1. reprimand, suspension, or termination
2. required completion of substance abuse treatment or substance abuse education
program

In addition, an employee must notify his/her dean or chair of his/her conviction for
violations occurring on or off university premises while conducting university business.
This must be done within 5 calendar days after the conviction.

The abuse of alcohol and other drugs increases the risk for a number of health related
problems. In addition, alcohol and drug abuse can contribute to a number of social,
behavioral and academic work performance problems. Indiana University encourages
individuals with alcohol or other drug related problems to seek assistance through their
health care provider or the Employee Assistance Program at 888-234-8327.

Conflicts of Commitment Involving Outside Professional Activities

The University Faculty Council adopted a policy on conflicts of commitments that was subsequently approved by the Board of Trustees in 2006. (See Document I-6). Conflicts of commitment arise when an outside professional activity interferes with an academic appointee’s ability to fulfill the obligations of his or her academic appointment, or when an appointee undertakes, on behalf of another organization, activities that would ordinarily be performed on behalf of Indiana University. Examples including teaching for another educational institution or undertaking externally funded research activities when the financial sponsorship is managed entirely outside of Indiana University. Conflicts of commitment must be disclosed to Deans or unit heads. Violations of this policy, including failure to file a disclosure, knowingly filing an incomplete, erroneous, or misleading disclosure, or failure to comply with prescribed procedures for managing an identified conflict of commitment, will be adjudicated in accordance with the Code of Academic Ethics and any applicable misconduct policies and procedures.

Financial Conflicts of Interest in Research

The many interactions that members of the University community have with business, government, not-for-profit groups, professional societies, academic institutions, and other individuals and organizations, as well as with community, political, religious, and cultural activities and institutions inherently create the potential for conflicts of interest in which external activities, income or other interests affect–or might appear to affect–the manner or extent to which those individuals pursue research within the University. Such real or apparent conflicts, when not appropriately disclosed and addressed, can undermine public and professional confidence in the integrity of University research and sponsored programs. Additionally, federal law and regulations require Indiana University to have a process in place to manage conflicts of interest involving federally funded research. (See Document I-7). In order to comply with federal regulations and to ensure that faculty are aware of, and follow, appropriate disclosure procedures, the University Faculty Council and Board of Trustees adopted a formal policy on financial conflicts of interest involving University research and sponsored programs. (See Document I-8). The policy defines a “significant financial interest,” the policies and procedures for disclosure of significant financial interests, and the policies and procedures to resolve and manage financial conflicts of interest. On the Bloomington campus, all full or part-time tenured or tenure-track faculty, visiting faculty, and research scientists/ scholars are required to complete an annual conflict of interest disclosure form whether or not they conduct research. (See Document I-9). Principal investigators are also required to ensure that any staff, students, or other employees who participate in the design, conduct, or reporting of research, complete a conflict of interest disclosure form. Anyone engaged in any sponsored program, whether or not it involves research, must also complete an annual disclosure form. The BFC Conflicts of Interest Committee reviews any disclosures that present a potential conflict of interest and has the responsibility for developing, through consultation with the affected researcher and the researcher’s unit, management plans or other appropriate means for resolving actual or potential conflicts.

Intellectual Property

The Board of Trustees updated its earlier policy on patents in 2008 in a new policy which implements the Indiana University “Statement of Principles on Intellectual Property.” (See Documents I-10 and I-11). The policy defines categories of intellectual property (e.g., patentable intellectual property, traditional works of scholarship) and the University’s rights to use, patent, or sell such works, describes the distribution of revenues, establishes the Intellectual Property Policy Council to resolve disputes regarding intellectual property within the university, and describes implementation procedures. Under this policy, the primary division of intellectual property is between patentable and copyrighted works. Generally speaking, ownership of patentable work is vested in the University. Copyrighted works are subdivided into Traditional Works of Scholarship, ownership of which remains with the creator of the work, and University Works (e.g., copyrighted works specifically commissioned by the University), for which the University retains ownership. The revenues from intellectual property owned by the University are distributed according to a formula set out in the policy. In 2009, the Bloomington Faculty Council adopted a campus-specific resolution regarding the specific interpretation of the distribution formula on the Bloomington campus (see Document I-12). The Indiana University Research and Technology Corporation (IURTC) holds and manages the University’s intellectual property.

Research Misconduct

The conduct of research rests on the foundation of intellectual honesty. The major responsibility for maintaining standards of intellectual integrity rests with individual scholars and with the departments in which they work. Faculty members must exercise active leadership in their supervisory roles in mentoring, collaborating with, or directing junior colleagues, staff, or students. The University supports these efforts by providing an environment for open inquiry in which research can be conducted appropriately, declaring the standards which must not be abrogated, and enforcing the standards on those occasions where violations may have occurred.
The University Faculty Council set forth policies and procedures for the maintenance and enforcement of such standards in 2007. (See Document I-13). The policy defines research misconduct and describes the procedures the reporting, investigation, and resolution of research misconduct allegations on all campuses of the University. These procedures cover the filing of a complaint, an initial inquiry, any subsequent investigation, the resolution, and the appeals process.

The Use of Human Subjects in Research

Indiana University publishes and administers policies which serve to protect the rights and welfare of human beings who participate in research studies conducted on behalf of the University. The Office of the Vice President for Research Administration (OVPRA) has responsibility for administering these policies. OVPRA is advised by an Executive Oversight Committee and a Faculty Advisory Committee. In addition, there are review boards serving each campus of Indiana University. These review boards monitor ongoing research and review all research plans involving human beings to ensure full compliance with the University’s polices and any relevant state and federal regulations. It is the responsibility of any appointee conducting or planning to conduct research involving human subjects to be fully informed of University policies in this area and to ensure that the actual or planned research is in full compliance with these policies. Strict adherence to these policies is required whether or not the research in question has or is envisioned as having external sponsorship and funding. Compliance will typically involve:
1) Prior scrutiny and approval by the University-designated campus review board, to assure compliance with all University policies and federal regulations in this area.
2) Documented consent of human participants in the research who may be in any degree of risk, whether it be physical, psychological, legal or economic risk, as a consequence of the research project, unless the consent requirement is formally waived by the campus review board.
3) Demonstration that the expected scientific value of the research justifies the degree of risk to human subjects and that such risk has been minimized to the extent possible.
Full listings of the relevant University policies and procedures are available from the OVPRA website: http://www.researchadmin.iu.edu/
As soon as any possibility of utilizing human subjects emerges in the course of designing research, the responsible investigator should immediately obtain the relevant University policies, become familiarized with them and seek guidance and clarification, if necessary, from the appropriate human subjects campus office identified on the OVPRA website.
As with all campuses of Indiana University, the campus review board in Bloomington maintains an office and staff to administer the policies of the review board and to assist the board with its review process. Any questions regarding the board and/or its policies or information on how to submit an application for review by the board should be directed to this office. The Bloomington human subjects office location and contact information can be found at http://www.iub.edu/~ora/HumanSubjects/IUB/hs_home.html